Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

1968 and 2018: average weekly spending by families

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The horizontal bar chart illustrates the comparision between the year 1968 and 2018 on how families in a country spent their weekly income. There are eight different sections for comparision.

Firstly, there is food, it had the most spending in year 1968, while in the year 2018, it dropped by 50%. Even in the year 2018, it still has the 3rd spot of spending.

Secondly, there is housing, it has been increased by 50% from year1968. It is the second most spending thing in the year 2018.

Thirdly, we have fuel and power, it has the lowest spending rate in both year. There is slight decrease in its spending from the year 1968.

Forthly, there is clothing and footware, there is a 50% reduction scince the year 1968.

On fifth we have household goods, it has equal spending rate in the year 1968 and the year 2018.

Sixth on the list, we have personal goods. It also has a reduction of 50% since the year 1968.

Meanwhile, on the seventh, we have transport. It has been increased by nearly 40% since the year 1968.

Finally, there is leisure, it has a significant increment since the year 1968.

Overall, there is a drastic increase in the leisure and food is reduced to half.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by covering the main categories in the chart, and presents an overview at the end noting the primary trends. However, some aspects are under-developed or inaccurate; for instance, the student states that food 'dropped by 50%' (from 35% to 17%, which is slightly less than half) and that housing 'has been increased by 50%' (from 10% to 19%, which is actually an increase of 90%). Furthermore, claiming that food still has 'the 3rd spot' in 2018 is inaccurate since leisure (22%) and housing (19%) are higher, making food the third highest, though this is stated somewhat confusingly. The selection of features is generally relevant, but greater precision in data reporting is needed to reach a higher level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical path by going through the categories one by one. Cohesive devices are used, particularly ordinal sequencing markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Thirdly', 'Forthly', 'On fifth', and 'Sixth on the list'. However, these devices are mechanical and somewhat repetitive, creating a rigid listing structure rather than smooth, natural progression. Paragraphing is also somewhat limited, as almost every category is given its own very brief sentence or paragraph, making the text feel disjointed. Referencing is generally clear, but the overuse of formulaic transitions limits higher-level cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying basic comparisons and changes using terms like 'spending rate', 'reduction', and 'increment'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors, such as 'comparision' instead of 'comparison', 'scince' instead of 'since', and 'Forthly' instead of 'Fourthly'. Word choices are also sometimes slightly unnatural, such as 'most spending thing' instead of 'largest expenditure category'. While the range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, these lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips prevent the response from achieving a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting comparative structures and relative clauses. There are, however, some grammatical errors and awkward punctuation choices, such as comma splices ('Firstly, there is food, it had the most spending...'). Other issues include tense and verb form inconsistencies, such as 'it has been increased' instead of the active past 'it increased' or passive 'it was increased', and preposition errors like 'in both year' instead of 'in both years'. Despite these errors, meaning is rarely impeded, and communication remains clear throughout.

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